Chinese researchers find microbubbles shrink advanced liver cancer tumours

Chinese researchers have found a safe way to shrink advanced tumours from an aggressive form of liver cancer, an advance that could see microbubbles used to enhance current treatments.

The tiny gas-filled bubbles, typically a few micrometres in diameter, were originally designed as contrast agents in ultrasound imaging, but scientists have recently been exploring their therapeutic potential.

According to a paper published by the peer-reviewed Scientific Reports on July 19, the study compared cancer patients who received the standard therapy with a group that also received the experimental ultrasound and microbubble treatment.

The researchers, from the Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University and Huzhou Central Hospital, found that tumours in the second group of patients grew smaller than in those who only received the standard therapy.

“This technology shows [promise] for enhancing localised treatment approaches in cancer patients,” they wrote in the reviewed but unedited manuscript, which was provided with legal disclaimers to give early access to the findings, according to the journal.

Microbubbles are used in various fields, including engineering, environmental clean-up, and medicine. When injected into the bloodstream and hit by ultrasound waves, these bubbles can expand or contract.